Swisswings (currently in receivership) will be taken over by Air Switzerland. The airline will resume operations in mid-July under the Air Switzerland europe brand. It will most probably resume Swisswings' profitable routes from Berne to Amsterdam and Munich. More details to follow tommorow at a press conference in Berne. It will be possible to download more information on these plans from tomorrow afternoon on their website.

Starting September 2002, air Switzerland - which is completely privately financed - will offer "scheduled charter" services as an attractively-priced alternative for long-haul flights from Unique Airport Zurich. It is planned to provide scheduled charter services in three classes to selected holiday and business destinations such as Las Vegas, Cape Town, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. With these offerings air Switzerland sees its role as an ideal complement to Swiss, and as contributing to the attractiveness of air travel to and from Switzerland.

In the start-up phase, air Switzerland will fly two A340-300 machines of the airbus family. The two aircraft are currently in Hamburg but will be brought to Zurich-Kloten at least six weeks before flight operations begin. They each have 10 first class, 30 business class and 225 economy class seats. The tail fin of the aircraft bears the Swiss cross, the colours of Liechtenstein and a crown. The crown symbolizes a service orientation in which the customer is king, explains Manfred Rutz, Vice President Sales & Marketing.

air Switzerland already has 12 employees and has moved into its headquarters in Glattbrugg. In preparation for flight operations it is now recruiting 17 commanders, 32 first officers and 175 flight attendants.

Altenrhein is only served by the Austrian Airlines group subsidiaries Rheintalflug and Tyrolean Airways. The only scheduled route is Altenrhein-Vienna as Altenrhein is very close to the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. There are also some charter flights operated by Rheintalflug with its ERJ-145s to Olbia and Palma de Mallorca and with Intersky, the CEO of this airline the wife of the CEO of Rheintalflug, to Elba Island.

It is nearly impossible to add more flights out of Altenrhein as even Rheintalflug is only allowed to operate six daily flights out of this airport. It would also not make sense to start other flights out of Altenrhein.

They will most probably take over the ex-Swisswings aircraft, I heard they were renegotiating leasing contracts with Fairchild Dornier. The Berne-Munich and Berne-Amsterdam routes were among the only profitable routes of Swisswings. So I suppose, they will resume operations on these routes. I don't know about the Geneva operations or possible feeder services for its long-haul route out of Zurich.

It wouldn't make any sense to run two airlines, one at BRN/GVA and another at ZRH, they would have to operate the Do328 at ZRH to feed the A340 flights, but since they want to go for 50% incomming it won't be that hard I think, but I wonder where they want to get the 50% incomming pax at destinations like Bangkok, Las Vegas, Singapore etc...

Doesn't make sense for me to run the small planes (which could be used for feeder-flights) out of BRN to European Destinations and to run the A340 out of ZRH.
Seems as two different airlines, just imagine airlines like BA, AF, KL would operate their long-haul planes at LHR, FRA, AMS and all European feeder-flights to LGW, MUC or what ever. This seems very strange.

The airline also still failed to mention about the investors, they are from Switzerland, Germany and USA (as per Lionels article) but no names. Don't you think this is strange?
They also informed earlier that they will work together with a big Tour Operator (mostly Swiss) and also here, no names mentioned so far.

BTW this scheme is one of the ugliest I have ever seen. I don't think that Air Switzerland will succeed because they don't have any major travel agency to fill there aircrafts. I am wondering from where they get their passengers. Swiss leisure market has already too many aircrafts: Swiss, Belair, Edelweiss

The first of the two ex-SIA Airbus A340 (D-ASIA) departed HAM for XLW last week. It will be outfitted and painted for Khalifa, so this aircraft will not be operated by Air Switzerland. However, another ex-SIA A340 (now D-ASIC) has arrived at HAM from SIN, so there is still a chance that these two aircraft will be leased by Air Switzerland.

Unfortunately, the conversation from the current SIA-interior to the proposed Air Switzerland one seems to be very expensive, so Air Switzerland is currently looking for other options than the ex-SIA A340s.

Frank

Frank Unterspann - Hamburg, Germany

25 ZRH
: I am also wondering that Air Switzerland wants to offer F class as a charter airline. Even well known scheduled airlines like LH and BA are considerin

26 Swissgabe
: As I said, they don't need big TOs in Switzerland since around 50% should be incom Pax, means departing outside ZRH, so you need TOs at ZRH and at all

27 9V-SVE
: So Boeing has 9 more to go...9V-SJH, 9V-SJI, 9V-SJJ, 9V-SJK, 9V-SJM, 9V-SJN, 9V-SJO, 9V-SJP, and 9V-SJQ (Last two not taken up by SQ - Could Air Switz

28 Thomas_Jaeger
: http://www.aircraft-leas.com No comment on that one ...

29 Aog
: Did anybody know if Air Switzerland has already get slots, especially on the overseas destinations or is this not necessary, because they operate as a

30 Thomas_Jaeger
: I saw the interview, it's also on SFinfo several times today. It was embarrassing ...

31 Gerardo
: Thomas: ABSOLUTELY embarrassing! Now I really have doubts about Air Switzerland's future. I had the impression, that he is only the one to slap in the